21 comments:

I hate Alzheimer's. My mom had it. I would call her (I live in MD, she lived in MO) just to talk. I knew she would NEVER remember that I called. But I just loved to hear her talk, hear her laugh - have her ask me all the same questions or tell me all the same stories again. Especially, now that she's gone (uterine cancer in '02) I'd give anything to have those talks still. The "mom" I grew up with was gone a long time prior to her death, but the "woman" I loved, remained for a long time. Sometimes I look at my hands or my feet & can see her's in mine. Or sometimes I hear her laugh in my own & have had others say "you sound just like your mother". What a blessing!

I wish you strength for this journey.

I look forward to following you. Please stop by & follow me as well. I welcome any comments you care to share!

The greatest gift that you can give to your Mother at this time is the gift of loving acceptance. You’ve just got to try to deal with the present situation with as much serenity and perspective as you can manage. We are loved, we are chosen, we have a purpose and God has a plan for each one of us; those who are weary, for renewed strength and hope for the discouraged....blessings.Hang in There!Virginia

My heart goes out to you and your Mother. My mom lived with us for 10 years before passing away 2 years ago. She developed dementia in her last 6 mos. With the help of Hospice, I was able to keep her here at home with us until her last breath. What I learned is that every minute of every day is special. Her smile/laugh, no matter how short lived, was a huge blessing. Compassion and patience are key. Bless you both on this journey.

This is a wonderful post, Lisa with so much valuable information for others...plus your honesty is a blessing. Sending you cyber hugs...and thanks for coming by my blog....So great to see you here at SS...God bless...

Dear, dear Lisa, my heart bleeds for you right now. I want to come back when I have more time (son and family here this weekend from out of state) and really soak up all that you have written. I appreciate you sharing your heart with us so much.

My prayer is that God will strengthen your heart and be your portion forever. Psalm 73

Hi, I popped over to visit from Spiritual Sunday. What a great resource this post is for those caring for elderly parents - particularly when dealing with Alzheimers Disease or other dementia symptoms. I've bookmarked it in Delicious and tweeted it as well. :)

I enjoyed several other of your articles - could SO relate to the Plan B one.

Thank you for the blessing you've been and praying for you to be blessed as well. :)

Alzheimers is so horrible. Both of my parents had severe dementia before they died. I sympathize with anyone going through it. Your sharing links and experiences will help others I am sure. Thank you for linking with Spiritual Sundays.Blessings,Charlotte

Hi Lisa,My dad had Alzheimers a coupleof years before he died. It issuch a horrible disease and Istill remember what all of ourfamily went through. I justwanted to tell you that werelied upon the Lord and Hesustained us. He is our strengthwhen we feel as though we havenone, and He is our hope whenall seems hopeless. Trust in his love and care.Blessings,Sandy

Hi Lisa, I saw this on your sidebar. First let me say my heart goes out to you. My parents moved 2 years ago to an independent living apartment and it was a huge change. My dad is 85 and has Parkinson's disease and some dementia and my mom is 83 and mostly healthy but clearly she does not make the best choices on all things. Aging parents is a long and often lonely road to be on. Thank you for this post.

Thank you for your transparency. I'm so very sorry for you and your mom. I know how hard it is. My mom has severe dementia and is in an assisted living home too. She is 85 and quite feeble. It's so hard because she does knows me and calls me all day long crying and begging to come and live with me. She is very well cared for at her home, but that makes no difference to her at all. She needs 24/7 care and living with me is just not possible for several reasons.

Sometimes I think I will have to disconnect her phone but I just couldn't do that to her. My heart breaks and the only way I can cope is to sort of "harden my heart" and be firm with her about why it's not possible to live with me- if that makes any sense at all. It does no good to try to reason with her or even comfort her though because she doesn't remember anything at all. Dementia is different in many ways, but it is still horrible.

My biggest concern is that she claimed to be a strong believer in her "former life before dementia". She used to go to church, read her Bible and pray every day but now she takes no solice in Christ at all. Amazingly, she can still do crossword puzzles! But she can't or won't read the most simple devotional books. It's as though her faith just vanished altogether - poof! So I worry that she perhaps never really knew Him.

My best friend's father was also our pastor years ago - wonderful man of God and a minister for 40 yrs. He passed into glory last month from Alzheimer's. At Easter he was shocked to learn that Christ had risen from the dead. As sad as that is, it brought me some hope for my mom's soul.

Sorry to dump the truck on your blog here. I'm the sole caregiver and feel very alone sometimes. AND GUILTY!

God bless you Lisa for being so candid about your pain. May He give you and your momma strength for the journey.

I just saw this on your sidebar today, and I don't have time to peruse it fully now. But I will bookmark it and return another time. With a strong history of Alzheimer's in my family, I've very interested to read what you've written. Thanks!

Brandee,It was a long painful journey with my mom, but an incredible one too, full of blessings and God’s grace. I’m glad I found your blog via Crumbs from His Table. I will pray for your family’s continued journey with your grandmother…